By Rotimi Makinde
I do not need to reemphazise what pains lie ahead of us as a party [All Progressives Congress] if we as progressives handle power carelessly and lose grips of power in Osun state come 2022.
A visit to Oyo state or Edo state our neighbours and its entire APC caucus in the last few years will tell us what it is to be in opposition and why it is extremely necessary for us to work as a team, while also bearing in mind the hazardous effects of operating as an opposition in a state in Nigeria.
If we have forgotten the 7 years of PDP rule in Osun state between 2003 to 2010 and the cost implications for us to regain the power on November 26th, 2010, then we can have a faint sense of what it is to be an opposition, we saw hell!
Fortunately, we are better in governance and in many ways, putting into account our antecedents, compared to these people in opposition, especially on the use of government power and instrument of office. These crop of men in opposition were merciless and ruthless; they are now tired, pretending and seeking relevance and want power at all cost. At least in the last 11 years in Osun state we are better off; under our watch no opposition suffered illegal detention or ran into exile, unlike when they drove us here and there, murdered and maimed our followers in mass proportion and went as far as attempting to go after our principal, those were precarious moments for us as a party.
It is on record that Prince Gboyega Famoodu, Hon. Akere and Alhaji Moshood Adeoti were unjustly rounded up at a time and sent to Prison in the name of power and its distasteful intoxication. These set of people also never cared about any infrastructural developments during their tenure in office neither do they think of being frugal or saving money towards the raining day, let alone showing care if their opponents ever live to see the next day. These are what they were known for and that is what may likely be our portion and some of the likely consequences in stock for us should we fail to reconcile and yield to the cries of many of us advocating for peace, and of course peace and reconciliation accross board is what we need now and we should swallow our pride.
We have common enemies in these people. They are pretending and fooling the public as if they are saints. It is not about Governor Adegboyega Oyetola or about the former Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, our continuity is beyond individuals or their careers.
Oyetola and Aregbesola are made!
Protecting the platform [APC] and the sweet and enduring legacies of both Oyetola and Aregbesola should therefore be paramount in our hearts no matter what side of the divide we found ourselves. We do know the antecedent of these set of people in opposition, their penchant for holding onto power with recourse to public funds without direction or vision and at the expense of the people who they claim to govern. We cannot afford to retrogress, we are progressives and we should always be ahead of our political enemies in the larger interest of Osun State.
The All Progressives Congress is the party we should love and admire for continuity no matter the hiccups and we can see that the civil service populace is today enjoying relative peace of mind under Governor Oyetola.
Currently, there is regular payment of salaries and maintenance of law, justice and fairness to the good citizens of our state, the complete opposite would painfully become the case for the opposition who are now out daily praying and making rituals for our disunity, sickness and for our ailments to know no bounds. If God should forbid, we men of honour too should close ranks and forbid it too.
Let’s not forget that it would not be as progressive as usual under them, for they would ensure only their welfare and pecuniary interest are given priorities, and probably to embark on probing of one ministry or the other for 23 hours a day instead of sticking to good governance that we all are enjoying today. Merry making and daily partying and serial enjoyment at all golf clubs in the state would never be enough for them and mind you, they would be ready to overstretch their unnecessary eagle eyes and tentacles for probe to start from 26th June 2010, the era of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to maybe eternity and to jettison good governance. That is their stock in trade and plan for us. All ongoing jobs and projects which are putting our state in comity of noble states would remain abandoned for life and the legacies of both Oyetola and Aregbesola would become white elephants projects in their infantile and prejudiced eyes whilst any of us ranting today would now become helpless and may become regular guests of ICPC or EFCC over phantom graft cases.
Let’s not forget that in each democratic election so far held in this country, power to govern is usually granted to the winners of those elections, to those who understand me very well, power depends on the user… Unlimited power to these awaiting hungry men and women would cause several downward review of salaries, immediate dissolution of Local Government Councils and total stoppage of all that matters, and in their usual selfish nature their immediate families would become their priority at the detriment of the entire state… It is more or less unlimited power they would get and as well misuse.
To what extent are we therefore prepared to just be a ‘living being’ under the watchful eyes of those of our people whose interests we are serving today, and whose interests we have suffered? All these opportunities to work for mankind would be lost if we continue to play nonchalant attitude towards the way we handle power, the consequences we shall all bear. I wish our dear party success, as well as, the great and principled people of Osun State.
Hon. Rotimi Makinde represented Ife Federal Constituency at the Lower Chmaber in the 7th Assembly, he is currently a key member of the South West Agenda (SWAGA 2023)